Uncle

To be honest, I play best without hammers and anvils. Speed and precision, and trickery, are much more fun than relying on one big unit to see you through. Good advice, but most, if not all, of the incidental costs are already covered by having a sizeable collection of several other wargames. I honestly don't intend on buying a rulebook (I know, I know, bad gamer!) because I have a little brother who shelled out for it. Sure, he lives 15 minutes away, but that's no issue. And, of course, should I so desire at a later time, I can pick up the books. My main concern is that I do not want to throw down a large sum of money--and yes, I would consider $150 to be a large sum--on a game that I am not entirely certain about. The thing about the "big three" is that even if they are not my favorite games, it is easy to find a game if so desired. Malifaux doesn't have that distinction, yet, in my area, but the games are smaller and quicker, which in and of itself is a good thing--I have much more free money than time these days, it seems.

So, I'm thinking about picking up Malifaux (my little brother's been pushing the game on me a bit), and I'm currently debating between three different groups: the Ortegas, the Showgirls, and Som'er Teeth's Gremlins. The way I see it, Perdita comes in a somewhat distant third--I love the idea of her group, but the models just aren't exciting, if that makes sense. Plus, they're rather single-purpose: I don't know of a lot of games that include Mexican gunslingers (and aren't Deadlands). The Gremlins are adorable and would be a lot of fun to play, I think, but man, the introductory price is high for these guys. And honestly, swarm tactics aren't what I was really looking for with Malifaux, so I'm shying away from them. I really like the aesthetics of the Showgirls, but I'm not entirely certain they have a victory condition--keep in mind, I'm absolutely a newbie here. Do they have what it takes to deliver a stylish, teasing beatdown, or do they fall flat? Furthermore, are there anything other than performers, coryphees, and mechanical doves that Colette should regularly bring along? If not, then they're a heckuva lot cheaper than the gremlins--another plus. So sell me. Tell me why these ladies are so great.